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Ford Windstar
Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Production	1994-2003 1995-2003 (model years)
Assembly	Oakville, Ontario
Predecessor	Ford Aerostar
Successor	Ford Freestar
Class	Minivan
Layout	FF layout
Designer	Moray Callum

First generation
Production	1995–1998
Body style(s)	3-door minivan
Platform	Ford D186 platform
Engine(s)	3.0 L Vulcan V6 3.8 L Essex V6
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic AX4S
Wheelbase	120.7 in
Length	201.2 in
Width	75.4 in
Height	68 in
Curb weight	3800 lb
Related	Ford Taurus[1][2][3] Lincoln Continental Mercury Sable

The Ford Windstar was a minivan produced and sold by the Ford Motor Company from March 1994 (for the 1995 model year) to 2003. The new front-wheel drive minivan would eventually replace Ford's aging rear-wheel drive Aerostar mid-size van. The two ran concurrently for three model years until the Aerostar's demise in 1997. For the 2004 model year, it was replaced by the Freestar. All Windstars were built in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1200x670, 120 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ford Windstar Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Automakers, also known as carmakers, automobile manufacturers, motor manufacturers, or the automobile industry are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker after Toyota and General Motors, based on worldwide vehicle sales. ... Oakville (2006 population 165,613[1]) is a town on Lake Ontario in southern Ontario, Canada, midway between Toronto (about 31 km or 19 mi away) on its eastern border and Hamilton (about 20 km or 12 mi away) from its western border. ... The Ford Aerostar was Fords first attempt at building a minivan, and was introduced as a 1986 model in summer 1985. ... The Ford Freestar was a minivan made by the Ford Motor Company, manufactured until November 2006. ... It has been suggested that Vehicle size class be merged into this article or section. ... Lloyd LT 600, a vintage minivan 05 Mercury Monterey minivan Buick GL8, sold exclusively in China A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle, people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use and has between four... In automobile design layout is the place where both the engine and driven wheels are. ... In automobile design, an FF, or Front-engine, Front wheel drive, layout places both the engine and driven wheels at the front of the vehicle. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Automotive design. ... Moray Callum (1958–) is an automobile designer from Scotland, currently in charge of North American car design for Ford. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 476 pixelsFull resolution (1412 × 840 pixel, file size: 138 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ... Lloyd LT 600, a vintage minivan 05 Mercury Monterey minivan Buick GL8, sold exclusively in China A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle, people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use and has between four... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... The Ford D186 platform is a midsized platform, ued to build 3 sedans Ford Taurus Mercury Sable Lincoln Continental ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Ford Vulcan V6 was a 3. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... The Canadian Essex (90 Degree V) engine was a V6 engine family built by Ford Motor Company in Windsor, Ontario. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... In mechanics, a transmission or gearbox is the system of gears and/or the hydraulic system (called variously hydrodynamic, fluid or automatic transmission) that transmits mechanical power from a prime mover—such as an engine or electric motor—to a typically rotary output device at a lower angular momentum but... An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kerb (sometimes mis-spelled as curb by Americans) weight is the total weight of a vehicle with standard equipment, all necessary operating consumables (such as motor oil and coolant), a full tank of fuel and not loaded with either passengers or cargo. ... The Ford Taurus is a mid-size, front wheel drive car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in North America. ... Lincoln Continental is a model name that has been used several times by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company for a line of luxury cars. ... Released in December 1985 for the 1986 model year, the Mercury Sable was the upscale version of the Ford Taurus. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 349 pixelsFull resolution (886 × 386 pixel, file size: 53 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ... Lloyd LT 600, a vintage minivan 05 Mercury Monterey minivan Buick GL8, sold exclusively in China A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle, people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use and has between four... Lloyd LT 600, a vintage minivan 05 Mercury Monterey minivan Buick GL8, sold exclusively in China A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle, people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use and has between four... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... The V platform is Ford Motor Companys minivan platform. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Ford Vulcan V6 was a 3. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... The Canadian Essex (90 Degree V) engine was a V6 engine family built by Ford Motor Company in Windsor, Ontario. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... In mechanics, a transmission or gearbox is the system of gears and/or the hydraulic system (called variously hydrodynamic, fluid or automatic transmission) that transmits mechanical power from a prime mover—such as an engine or electric motor—to a typically rotary output device at a lower angular momentum but... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Lloyd LT 600, a vintage minivan 05 Mercury Monterey minivan Buick GL8, sold exclusively in China A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle, people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use and has between four... Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker after Toyota and General Motors, based on worldwide vehicle sales. ... Front-wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. ... Lloyd LT 600, a vintage minivan 05 Mercury Monterey minivan Buick GL8, sold exclusively in China A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle, people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use and has between four... Rear-wheel drive (or RWD for short) is an engine/transmission layout used in automobiles. ... The Ford Aerostar was Fords first attempt at building a minivan, and was introduced as a 1986 model in summer 1985. ... A mid-size car, frequently referred to as an intermediate, is an automobile with a size between that of a compact and a full-size or standard-size car. ... A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. ... The Ford Freestar was a minivan made by the Ford Motor Company, manufactured until November 2006. ... Oakville (2006 population 165,613[1]) is a town on Lake Ontario in southern Ontario, Canada, midway between Toronto (about 31 km or 19 mi away) on its eastern border and Hamilton (about 20 km or 12 mi away) from its western border. ...

It was available with 3.0 L and 3.8 L V6 engines. The smaller 3.0 L engine was discontinued with the 2000 model year. The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ...

When the Windstar premiered in 1995, the only available engine was the Taurus/Sable's 3.8 L V6 which produced just 155 hp (116 kW) but 220 lb-ft of torque. The engine was susceptible to head gasket failures, like in the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable; however, the Windstar's problem was exacerbated by an even tighter engine bay and higher loads, the van being 700 pounds heavier. Only a base model was available for the first year, but a more luxurious model followed for 1996. This year, the 3.0 L 150 hp (112 kW) Vulcan V6 was made the base engine, with the 3.8 L engine upgraded to 200 hp (149 kW). The engine also received better head gaskets. Unfortunately Windstars suffered from very poor transmissions, which often failed. There was originally a design problem with an internal part which broke, and supposedly the later replacement part was corrected. However, many owners have reported multiple transmission failures on vehicles with only normal use. The Windstar automatic transmission has a very unusual shift characteristic which is difficult for many drivers to become accustomed to, and it constantly hunts between drive and overdrive at normal traffic speeds around 40 MPH. Undoubtedly this flaw contributes to the failure of the transmission. The Ford Taurus is a mid-size, front wheel drive car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in North America. ... Released in December 1985 for the 1986 model year, the Mercury Sable was the upscale version of the Ford Taurus. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Ford Vulcan V6 was a 3. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ...

During its years on the market, the Windstar received two major design alterations. The last model year of its first generation, 1998, featured a slightly altered grill and headlights along with the rear blue oval "Ford" badge moved to the center of the tailgate above the license plate, rather than the opposite side of the Windstar badge. In 1999, the vehicle was redesigned, making it look more modern and sporty. The grille was also changed into a grid array and the B-pillars were hidden. In 2001, Ford refreshed the Windstar once again by changing the grille, using a tighter array of smaller rectangles.

2001-2003 2nd-gen Windstar Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 489 pixelsFull resolution (2492 × 1524 pixel, file size: 357 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

2001-2003 2nd-gen Windstar Sport Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 484 pixelsFull resolution (2424 × 1468 pixel, file size: 328 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

The original project codename for the Windstar was WIN88, which stood for "wagon, intermediate, North America". Some say that the codename inspired the Windstar name^{[citation needed]}. Subsequent freshenings of the vehicle for 1999 and 2001 model years used the VN (for "van, North America") nomenclature.

The Windstar was replaced by the Ford Freestar. Although Ford claims the Freestar is "all new", it is essentially an updated Windstar^{[citation needed]}. The Ford Freestar was a minivan made by the Ford Motor Company, manufactured until November 2006. ...

Trivia

• For the 1998 model year, Ford added an extension of 6 inches to the driver's side door to allow easier access to the middle and rear seats. This was done because with the current bodyshell, it was not possible to create a driver's side sliding door, which was introduced by its competitor Nissan in 1984 with the Stanza Wagon and standarized in 1996 with the redesigned Chrysler minivans.
• When the Windstar was redesigned for 1999, provisions were made for the driver's side sliding door (an option until 2001).

Nissan Motor Co. ... The Nissan Prairie was introduced in Japan in 1981 and Europe in 1982 and was the first production multi-purpose vehicle, if the Fiat 600 Multipla of the 1950s is not counted. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

References

1. ^ Author: Bill Russ. "New Car Review 1995 FORD WINDSTAR GL MINIVAN". Publication: The Auto Channel. Date Retrieved 8/19/06. [1]
2. ^ Author: John Lowell. "Light trucks: the hottest segment - light truck market trends and new products for 1994 - Industry Overview". Publication: Look Smart. Date Retrieved 8/27/06. [2]
3. ^ "4-Wheel Drive / Offroading" on about.com